19 charged after pro-Palestine protest
Nineteen people have been charged after a pro-Palestine protest at a Sydney port.
The Palestine-Israel conflict has been ongoing for more than five months, with the United Nations confirming on Monday that Israel will no longer be approving food convoys to north Gaza.
Millions of Palestinians living in Gaza are experiencing critical food, medicine and fuel shortages.
Officers responded to the unauthorised protest at Port Botany about 6.50pm on Sunday when close to 100 people blocked access to the port.
Zim Integrated Shipping Services, known as ZIM, is a publicly held Israeli international cargo shipping company with headquarters based in Haifa.
One of the company’s ships was due to unload goods on Sunday night.
The group chanted “from the river to the sea” and “ZIM out of Botany, bombs out of Gaza” before speakers, including Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi, delivered speeches.
“Absolute shame on police,” she told the protesters.
“These tactics are used to intimidate, to scare us.”
The group marched towards Foreshore Rd, closer to the port entrance, where they met a line of police officers blocking them.
About 9.30pm, a police officer used a megaphone to demand protesters move on or face arrest, The Daily Telegraph reports.
At least 19 people were arrested for disobeying the police direction.
All of them were charged with obstruct drivers and pedestrians, failing to comply with move along directions, and remaining near a major facility causing serious disruption.
They were issued a court attendance notice to appear before Downing Centre Local Court on May 8.
